Speaking from the Corps

Thursday, April 29, 2010

The following poems were inspired by Paul Lawrence Dunbar's "Sympathy" and Maya Angelou's "I know why the caged bird sings." Enjoy.
I.
As I sit in the cage
I long to be free.
When I open my eyes
I look down and see
the shackles on my feet.
I get in range
because I hear no beat.
Then I woke up
and realized it was all a dream.
II.
Hiding, running from my life.
Life has made me feel locked away, chain up
and held back from the light, in the darkness
I lie as I watch my life slowly pass me by.
Hiding from myself, I rebel not living the
life I once had the chance to live.
III.
This bird does not feel free
for it is like a hive without a bee
and as our world turns round and
round this bird's in his cage not
saying a sound. His time is not
over until the fat woman sings.
This bird's stuck in his cage in which he
can't breathe. If I were an animal I' let
out my rage. This bird needs to be left free
outside of his cage.
IV.
I stare out the window like a
caged bird between the bars.
I watch as the grass shivers
slightly in the morning breeze. To
soar in the blue sky and finally
be free of this prison, this job corps.
V.
The caged bird is a friend of mine.
We sing together all the time.
I will be the one to set her free.
I'll fly with her into eternity.